1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to multifunction garments and personal body armor and more particularly to a combination bag/vest and concealable personal body armor.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Police officers and military personnel generally wear tactical personal body armor vests such as bullet resistant vests into a situation with the potential for violence such as gun fire. Such tactical vests are generally tailored to provide maximal protection and maneuverability for the wearer. These vests also generally have systems for attaching, in any configuration desired by the wearer, tactical gear such as, for example, pouches for ammunition or first aid gear and holsters for radios, stun guns, knives, tear gas, or sidearms.
Unfortunately, these personnel are often placed in mission scenarios where overtly wearing a bullet resistant vest and/or carrying weapons, ammunition, or other tactical gear is impossible. For example, an undercover police officer investigating a criminal organization may have arranged for a raid on a gathering of his subjects. However, as an attendee of the gathering, that officer would not be able to wear personal body armor such as a tactical bullet resistant vest without raising suspicion. Without armor and/or other tactical gear, this officer's life will be at increased risk in the likely event of violence. Unfortunately, other than carrying such tactical gear in a bag or overtly wearing it, there are few options available to such personnel.
One known option is a foldable armor curtain which may be stored inconspicuously in a briefcase or other carrying device but provides only limited protection for the user, who must hold up and hide behind the curtain, similar to an oversized shield carried by a medieval knight. Furthermore, such devices obstruct the user's vision and maneuverability and provide no back protection.
Another known option is a two piece armor “vest” where the two pieces zip together to form a rifle/gun bag. However, such devices are large and conspicuous, thereby providing minimal, if any concealment of the armor and/or other tactical gear. Furthermore, the two pieces lack any of the shaping or tailoring found in a true tactical vest.
Additionally, these known options do not offer means for attaching or configuring other tactical gear such as ammunition, mace, radios, stun guns, etc. Therefore, a user of such options is provided with only limited protection while suffering from minimal concealment of the equipment, restricted movement, and a tactical disadvantage caused by having insufficient available gear arranged in an unfamiliar configuration.
In other applications, various activities such as, for example, hunting, hiking, camping, boating, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, diving, etc. also require important gear and/or tools. This gear, e.g., fishing lures, fishing hooks, whistles, rations, ammunition, floatation, tools, knives, flashlights, axes, and/or any other suitable equipment can sometimes be kept in a carried bag or pack, but participation in the activities can, at times, dictate that some gear must be kept on the person of a participant in the activity. Garments such as hunting vests or fishing vests generally serve a specific purpose, e.g., increasing observability of the wearer or holding a small amount of fishing equipment, but overall provide minimal functionality for the user. No options exist to such participants for a means of rapidly transferring gear from a bag or pack onto the participant's person in the participant's preferred configuration.